U.S. presses Hamas to accept new Gaza ceasefire proposal
The United States stepped up pressure for a ceasefire deal in Gaza on Monday as the secretary of state said a new proposal had been put to Hamas, whose officials were in Cairo talking to Egyptian mediators. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes killed 26 people in the Gaza’s southern town of Rafah, according to hospital records.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, ahead of a new visit to Israel this week, pressured Hamas to accept the latest proposal, calling it “extraordinarily generous” on the part of Israel.
Terms of the proposal were not made public, and it was not known if anything had changed on the main roadblock that U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators have repeatedly crashed against: the question of the extent of a ceasefire. During months of talks, meditators have often signalled major progress only to come out empty-handed.
Hamas demands that the release of all hostages bring a complete end to Israel’s nearly seven-month assault in Gaza and a withdrawal of its troops from the devastated territory. Israel has offered only an extended pause, vowing to resume its offensive to destroy Hamas once the pause is over.
Israel says it plans to invade Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost town where more than 1 million Palestinians have sought shelter from fighting elsewhere. Its closest ally, the United States, and others have repeatedly warned against it, saying an offensive would cause a new surge in mass casualties in an offensive that has already killed more than 34,000 people.
Overnight and Monday morning, Israeli strikes flattened at least three homes where extended families of Palestinians were gathered, and the dead included nine women and six children, one of whom was just five days old, according to hospital records and an Associated Press reporter.
“Everyone was sleeping in their beds,” said Mahmoud Abu Taha, whose cousin was killed with his wife and their year-old baby in one house where at least 10 died.
“They have nothing to do with anything, all of them are girls and women.”
Egypt has stepped up mediation efforts for a ceasefire deal in hopes of averting an Israeli ground assault on Rafah, which sits on Gaza’s border with Egypt.
A Hamas delegation was in Cairo on Monday for talks over the new proposal. Talks have centred on a two-phase deal that would bring an initial halt in fighting with the release of some of the around 100 hostages Hamas is believed to still hold in return for the freeing of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, while talks are held for a second phase for the release of the rest, including soldiers.
An Egyptian official said Israel has lowered the number of hostages it wants freed in the first stage, down from its earlier demands for 40, though he did not specify the new number. Israel has also shown flexibility on allowing residents to return to northern Gaza, he said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal talks.
The official said the Israelis “showed willingness” to discuss establishing a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza as part of the second phase of the deal. “They showed willingness [to discuss it] but not commitment,” he said.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas or Israeli officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected Hamas demands for an end to the war and a troop withdrawal and says an offensive on Rafah is crucial to destroying the militants after their Oct. 7 attacks on Israel that triggered the war.
His government could also be threatened if he agrees to a deal, since hardline members of his cabinet demand an attack on Rafah.
At the same time, Netanyahu faces pressure from the families of hostages still in captivity who are demanding a deal for their release.
On Monday, the families of two hostages — Keith Siegel and Omri Miran — urged both sides to reach an agreement, days after Hamas released a video showing the two men.
Israeli officials, meanwhile, appeared increasingly concerned that the International Criminal Court might issue arrest warrants against the country’s leaders.
It was not clear what sparked Israel’s concerns. The ICC launched a probe three years ago into possible war crimes committed by Israel and Palestinian militants going back to the 2014 Israel-Hamas war.